Is it safe for your kid to lift weights? You've probably heard the warning your whole life: weight training stunts a child's growth. It's so widely repeated that most parents accept it without ever asking where it came from.

In this episode of The Catalyst, Coach Chris Cooper traces the myth back to its actual source — an 1842 report from England's Children's Employment Commission about coal-mining children — and unpacks why the science behind it falls apart on closer inspection. The kids who worked in those mines weren't short because of the heavy loads. They were short because of malnutrition, lack of sunlight, chronic stress, and the fact that mine operators specifically chose smaller children to fit through the tunnels.

Modern research tells a completely different story. The National Strength and Conditioning Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology all agree: resistance training is not only safe for children, it's beneficial — and in many cases, necessary for healthy bone density, muscle development, and injury prevention.

Chris also explains what most parents miss: kids get stronger by rewiring their nervous systems, not by building muscle. That makes strength training for children a form of skill training. He walks through the exact three-step progression Catalyst uses with young athletes — mechanics first, consistency second, intensity last — and gives parents a practical checklist for evaluating any youth coaching program.

Plus: why the coach matters more than the weight, and three things you can do this week.

Book a free No-Sweat Intro at catalystgym.com.